


Beneath the Surface

by ApolloBlackwood



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Detective Princes go by he/him, Established Relationship, Light Persona 4 spoilers, M/M, Mostly spoiler-free, Murder Mystery, Persona 4 References, Persona 5 References, Souyo Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24909628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApolloBlackwood/pseuds/ApolloBlackwood
Summary: Yosuke and Yu, finally reunited after such a long time, plan to celebrate Yosuke's birthday in Tokyo - a birthday present from one boyfriend to the other! But there's a murderer on the loose, plus both Detectives Princes are on the case. With so much going on, can Yosuke and Yu stay out of trouble ...?
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Shirogane Naoto, Hanamura Yosuke & Akechi Goro, Hanamura Yosuke & Shirogane Naoto, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Narukami Yu & Akechi Goro, Narukami Yu & Shirogane Naoto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Souyoweek 2020





	Beneath the Surface

„Yeah I'm on my way. See ya at the station.“ I smile and hope that Yu can hear it on the other side of the phone. „Love ya, partner.“

„Love you too, Yosuke. See you.“ His smile shines through as well and when he cuts the line I can hardly contain myself. I had thought I'd get used to feeling like this after a certain amount of time – the faster heartbeat when I hear his voice, the heat in my cheeks, the slight dizziness in my head because I forgot how to breathe. But he's coming at me like a train at full speed and the effect is the same because Yu Narukami sweeps me off my feet and leaves me defenseless even through a phone. The power of this man …

I continue packing my things. I pick up a couple of spare clothes and put them into the compact suitcase in hope that I'll finally pack enough of them. This trip is going to be perfect in any regard. I fear that, if I rush out of my apartment to the station like I ache to, then I will forget to take something with me. Ah man, I'm not even sure if my list of things to pack is complete but I have checked my suitcase twice already and I can't unpack everything again …

“Yosuke Hanamura, you're a hero, brave and strong, get a grip on yourself cause this is going to rock!” I grab one of my favorite triangle scarfs and tie it around my neck with new strength. My fingers brush over the necklace Yu gifted me when he came back to Inaba – funny enough that the pendant looks like my Persona – and check over myself in the mirror. Do I look good?

I sigh, take off the scarf and tie it around my wrist instead. Before I can rethink my decisions I grab my suitcase and leave my room, rolling my stuff behind me. The apartment is dim and quiet, the blinds half lifted to let in the midday sun. It's pleasantly cold in here and I take a second to stand at the doorway and breathe in.

I can't believe that I'm going to go on a trip with my boyfriend. Just him and I. In another town. It's like being on adventures together but without the dangers and murders all around. We will walk around together, have breakfast, lunch and dinner together and maybe … even hold each other's hands in public!

I cough and suddenly it's too hot in my apartment. Damn, maybe I should lower the blinds and close out the sun completely. Dad hates it when the apartment feels like a sauna. I move to the windows and still silently wonder if Yu and I are on that level of relationship already. Like, _actually_. I don't know, my head's a mess. I never knew much about being together with someone in the first place and the only time I wanted to date someone turned out a complete disaster so thinking about this stuff carefully should do, right? I'd ask somebody for advise but except for Yu, who should I even ask? Chie? Yukiko?

If this wasn't so sad I'd laugh.

Before I can leave there is one more thing I need to prepare. Even though it's my birthday tomorrow it's father's day today. And only today. I go into the kitchen and open a cupboard to pull out a pouch with a small attached note to it that says “Happy Father's Day, Dad”. I place it onto the kitchen table and hope that he'll find it when he comes home.

If he comes home.

More sober I take my suitcase and leave my apartment without another look back.

Once I step outside it's like being splashed with a bucket of water and I instantly feel waterfalls run down from every pore of my body. Until I reach the station I already regret that I didn't pack enough spare clothes for this. My forearm wipes more often over my forehead than the amount of steps I have to take from home to the station and when I finally arrive I feel like I have wiped my skin through to bones.

“Yosuke!” Yu stands in the shadow and lifts a hand once he sees me. His face lights up into a bright smile even more effective than the scorching sun and I return the wave, groaning: “You're no fair, man. Who allowed you to look this fresh in such a heat?” My heart skips a beat when Yu puts back his head and laughs, and I feel this laugh run through my bones.

“Come on, Suke. It's nice.” He tugs me into a hug despite my complaining and I allow myself to rest against his shoulder and breathe in his scent before I wind out.

“You're too hot”, I mumble. His smirk does not help my body temperature at all.

Actually, it was Yu's idea to invite me out like this. I tried to play it cool and said that yeah sure, I'd love to see Tokyo on my birthday, why not. But I feel like a schoolboy on his first day at school, both looking forward to it and also angsty about what's going to happen. I have never been out without one of my parents (except you count the TV-world as going out but I don't). I have especially never been on a trip with my boyfriend before. Yu on the other side looks relaxed and collected. If I didn't know him better I wouldn't be able to see the little hints in his body language that tell me how he really feels, the hand in his pocket that fidgets with something or the way his smile plays around the corners of his mouth.

“Did you see your dad?” He reciprocates my searching gaze with the usual sincerity that shows that I'm the center of his attention and that he listens carefully. For me it's just a little bit more intense than for other people and burns up the butterflies in my stomach. I tilt my head.

“You know how often he actually comes home.”

“What did you prepare for him?”

“Well … yeah.” I don't need to tell anybody that the head of Junes does not exactly value material gifts. Why would he, with the amount of money he has he can buy whatever he wants. Usually I'd settle with something personal and spend time with him but the older I get the more forced these meetings get. Not just Father's Day but my birthday as well. Sometimes I feel like those days don't hold the same importance to him as they used to.

Yu knows it, mostly from what I told him. I love him even more for the space he allows me – his questions about my parents are careful, considerate. I can talk when I feel like it, no pressure. It makes it easier to say those things out loud.

“I made cookies. They won't go bad for a couple of days if dad doesn't come home any time soon.”

“Good choice.” I feel his fingers brush mine and notice that I was staring emptily onto the pavement. I turn my head and only when I feel a wave of disappointment rush over me I realize that I hoped he'd take my hand but Yu's still maintaining some distance, his gaze searching. With this thought my face starts burning anew. Wow, maybe I _am_ beside the line today. So, if I want to hold my boyfriend's hand, why can't I just reach out and take it? It should be okay and if not then Yu would tell me. Especially Yu. Also we _have_ held hands before, while sitting on the sofa or in the darkness of the cinema. But why is it so hard to …

“Yosuke?” Yu's gaze has become complicated and for some reason I laugh shakily and wave my hands in front of me. “Ah it's nothing, ahahaha, I'm okay, partner! Look the train's already coming, let's go Yu!”

“Sure.” He lingers for a second and looks like he wants to say something but turns away to grab his suitcase without voicing his thoughts. I feel awful. His back is turned on me when I lift a hand to my face and shake my head.

_What's wrong, man? Stop hyperventilating. Yes it's hot and he's hot and how are we in a relationship? Look at him, look at me. No no, stop._

I feel a hand on my shoulder and focus back into reality. Yu doesn't have to say a word, he simply boards the train and helps me get my suitcase inside as well. The drastic change of temperature when I set a foot inside the train feels like opening the fridge on a burning summer day and I feel better once we find our seats and sit down. I get the window seat and turn on my place to lean against the sidewall instead the seat's back, my hand resting on my lap. This way I can look at Yu and still relax (and relaxing I need to because oh boy, Yosuke).

“I'm sorry, Yu”, I say sheepishly.

“Is there something to be sorry for?” If I ever have to write a story about the millions of shades and tones that Yu's smiles and expressions have I'd fill a book thicker than thousand pages. I could listen to him talk nonstop and never get tired of it.

“Uh … probably?” He shakes his head.

“It's not our first date”, he reminds me mockingly. I frown.

“It feels like it though.” It does. I don't know why but it does. My mind is somewhere ahead of me, thinking about how Tokyo will be and what we could be doing there in almost two days. Also I have never shared a room with Yu alone and I don't know if we're going to share a bed or if he booked beds apart. We're not dating long enough to share a bed, right? But when _are_ we dating long enough?

“You weren't as jumpy in the TV-world. Just treat this as an adventure, Suke. It's going to be cool, trust me.” Yu grabs my wrist and plucks at the scarf that I have tied around it. I watch him take it off and sigh, retracting my arm from his loose grip.

“In the TV-world everything was out to kill us. I was on guard all the time, had to fear for my life, all that. You don't wanna kill me, partner, so how can this possibly be the same?”

“Are you suggesting …?” He wiggles with his eyebrows and I stare, inhaling sharply.

“Yu!” I lunge forward to punch him in his side but he catches me by my wrist and pulls me closer until our faces are inches away from each other. Yu's lips curve into a pleased smile. “Yosuke Hanamura, you're naughty”, he whispers under his breath, gazing deeply into my eyes. If I can write thousands of pages about his smile I can fill many more about the language of his eyes: the sparkles in them, the small wrinkles around them, the kindness or the hard look they can give someone.

I take advantage and press a kiss on Yu's lips. It's short and hard and I break away as I feel his grip around my wrist loosen. I move to sit back but Yu has other plans.

“Your scarf”, he says and lifts his arms around my shoulders, caging me in a wide embrace. Without averting his gaze from me he ties my scarf around my throat. “Also you forgot to take this too.” He leans forward and kisses the corners of my mouth before he turns his head to my ear and adds: “Don't worry, Yosuke, smile instead. I love your smile.” Then he leans back, his cheeks colored cherrypink, and allows me to move again. I breathe.

“Okay”, I say. I smile. I don't have working brain cells to formulate my feelings into coherent words and so I don't even try. I love Yu. I smile wider. “I can do this.”

“Sure.”

The travel is going to be around six hours. We'll arrive in the evening at Tokyo, grab something to eat and then check into the hotel. Right now, Yu and I talk about our program tomorrow, or rather he asks what I want to do and I suggest a couple of things even though I don't mind doing anything. As long as Yu is there with me even doing nothing is the peak of entertainment.

“Ever been to Tokyo, Suke?”, Yu asks, clicking away the sightseeing site on his phone. I shrug.

“When I was a child I was there with mom. I don't remember much though. There were many lights and many people, that's it. You?”

“Hm, yeah. I was there with school before I visited Inaba for the first time. Oh by the way, there's this radio channel that you'll love. Sec ...” Yu unlocks his phone again and types through some apps on his phone until finds the channel he was talking about. He plugs in earphones and reaches one over to me to listen in. Because the cable is short I lean against his shoulder and put in the earphone he gave me, listening. Literal seconds later my head shoots around to look at Yu, who smiles triumphantly.

“Told you”, he says. I'm in awe.

“That's the suite from Inception!” The radio in Inaba has a limited range of music they're playing, most definitely not the style I prefer. Of course I love Rise's music, I just don't fancy it 24/7. I have an internet flatrate and listen to movie soundtrack and western music until the flat's out, which happens way too quickly – and since I only own CDs that I can listen to at home a radio channel that plays my favorite music is a luxury to me. At least ever since I moved to Inaba a couple of months ago. Wow, I really do miss little things like these.

“Yep. And except the hourly news there's no advertisement in between.”

“Imagine living in Inaba”, I tap my finger against the armrest. One day I'll leave there to never look back. Oh yeah, there's another tune I try to forget very hard as well: “ _Everyday's great at your Junes!_ ”

“Well … the transfer student's life. I'm getting you out of there.” Yu leans in with a laugh and gently hits our heads together, pushing me with his shoulder.

“Oh great Narukami, you're my hero and savior!” I make a face and shove back.

“Ah yes? So, Yosuke Hanamura, do you finally accept this reality?”

“Hah! Do I look like a -”, I break off mid-sentence when I hear a familiar voice in my ear and freeze. My eyes widen. “Naoto?!”

“... as such I will be taking the case”, Naoto is saying. I whip around to look at Yu but he heard it too. He presses a hand against his ear with the earphone to not miss a single word. We're not mistaken. This is definitely the voice of the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, also our partner during the Inaba murder investigation and fellow persona user in the TV-world. The next sentences confirm this.

“Mister Shirogane, it's said that the corpse was found in a very peculiar state. Could you elaborate, especially in respect to the cases that people refer to as 'the mental shutdowns'? Do you think there is a connection between the murders in Tokyo and your previous case at Inaba?”

 _Corpse?_ , I mouth but Yu shrugs and shakes his head helplessly.

“No, this is specified information. Until the police have confirmed the cause of death you will have to wait for an official statement. However, I can assure the citizens of Tokyo that we are working on the case already. Should there be a murderer on the loose in Shibuya then we _will_ catch them.”

“Thank you, Mister Shirogane. We place our trust into your hands.”

“The next news are going to be broadcast-”, the news lady continues after the interview and I remove my earphone.

“Shibuya?”, I echo. Yu looks ashen and shakes his head again. Looking at him I know that I'm not mistaken. Shibuya is the place we're headed to. But … something happened there. Something grave enough to make the police ask for the Detective Prince's help.

 _Oh god. This is hopefully not going to affect us?_ , I bite my lower lip. Then I reach out and put my hand on Yu's that's clenched into a fist on his lap. He startles and I pull back my hand with a silent Sorry.

“It's probably nothing”, I say. I really hope it's nothing.

I have had enough murders in my life already.


End file.
